5 Reasons Why It’s So Important to Prevent Fleas and Ticks
Fleas and ticks are external parasites that grab onto a dog’s or cat’s fur and make their way deep inside the coat where they bite and feed on the animal’s blood. These parasites don’t discriminate. They will happily live on human hosts, too. In addition to being creepy, crawly, and jumpy, fleas and ticks can also be dangerous.
Why Parasite Prevention Is Worth It
1. Uncomfortable Symptoms
Parasites – especially fleas – can be quite uncomfortable for pets and people. Their biting itches and hurts, and flea saliva can cause an allergic reaction in some animals, leading to a rash. Many pets with fleas end up with skin infections as a result of the constant scratching.
2. Diseases
Both fleas and ticks can carry a variety of dangerous diseases that they pass on to their hosts when they bite. These include Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and bartonellosis. Fleas can also transmit internal parasites, like tapeworms, to pets.
3. Home Infestation
When pets infested with parasites come inside your home or roll around with you in the grass, they can pass their parasites to you and your home, leading to an even bigger infestation. Once fleas enter your home and lay eggs, it can be incredibly difficult to eradicate them. The flea cycle is 14 days, so if you’ve treated your home with foggers or sprays, you will need to do it again in 14 days to break the cycle. This is where a lot of people run into trouble because they only think they have to treat their home once.
4. Protect Human Family Members
Some of the diseases that fleas and ticks carry put humans at risk, too. For example, fleas and ticks are responsible for zoonotic diseases like Lyme disease and even the plague.
5. Prevention Always Trumps Treatment
Keep you dog or cat on proper flea and tick prevention. We offer a variety of products that are proven effective with a money back guarantee! Call us to discuss your options today.
How to Protect Your Pet from Fleas and Ticks
To effectively prevent your pet from getting fleas and ticks and bringing them into your home, parasite prevention medications are key. There are a variety of preventatives available on the market (oral, topical, and wearable), and we recommend them based on the sizes and species of all the pets in your home to ensure the preventatives are both safe and effective.
Administering a parasite preventative to your pet will only be effective with the proper dosage, administration, and schedule, so it’s important to speak with a veterinarian about their recommendation for your cat or dog.
At Eastwaye Veterinary Clinic, we carry a variety of parasite preventatives in-house for the convenience of our clients. We offer Bravecto Plus for cats, which offers two months of protection and contains added heartworm prevention. We also carry Seresto collars for cats and dogs, which last 8 months and usually come with a $15 rebate. We offer a chewable tab called Credelio for dogs that is administered once a month. We also carry Advantage which is available for cats, with no prescription necessary. To learn more about parasite prevention, contact our office today!
